As we approach Kin’s first birthday in May 2025, we’ve found ourselves reflecting on how it all began.
When the company we loved and poured years of energy into suddenly closed its doors, it was more than just a professional setback, it was personal.
Redundancy isn’t just a line on a CV or a polite email from HR. It’s that gut-punch feeling of uncertainty. The questions that wake you up at 3am. The grief for a team, a culture, a routine that felt like home.
But looking back, as tough as it was, that moment became the foundation for something far greater than we could’ve imagined.
It became the beginning of Kin Collective.
What we learned (the hard way):
1. We didn’t have all the answers — but we knew what mattered.
When everything changed overnight, we didn’t have a five-year plan or a neat little roadmap. What we did have was clarity on what we cared about: people, purpose, and doing work that actually means something. So we started small, stayed honest, and built from there. Turns out, that was more than enough.
2. Community carries you.
Whether it was a friend checking in, a past colleague sending a kind word, or a client who said “I’d work with you again in a heartbeat”, those were the moments that kept us going. And it’s why community is at the heart of Kin.
3. Grief and growth go hand in hand.
It’s okay to feel angry, lost, frustrated, we did. But those feelings didn’t stop us. They fuelled us. We channelled them into building something more human, more hopeful, and more meaningful.
Why we’re sharing this now:
Because redundancies are still happening. Quietly, sometimes suddenly. And we want you to know, if you're going through one, you’re not alone.
You’re allowed to pause. To regroup. To ask, "what do I actually want now?"
And if you don’t know the answer yet, that’s okay too. We didn’t either at first.
But here’s what we can tell you, especially if you work in marketing: your creativity, your ideas, your ability to adapt, that doesn’t disappear when a job ends. It’s still yours. And it might just lead you somewhere better than you imagined.
What we’re building now:
Kin Collective was born out of something that could’ve broken us, but instead, it bonded us. And we’ve built this business around the values that got us through: honesty, empathy, and people-first thinking.
Whether you're a marketer rethinking your next move or a hiring manager navigating change in your team, we’re here. Not just as recruiters, but as people who get it.
Because sometimes the best new chapters start with a page you didn’t expect to turn.
And now, almost one year on, we’re so proud of what we’ve built, and even more excited about what’s still to come.
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